Ghost
by Az0
Summary: When they find him on the streetside, the Titans find out about him more then they bargained for. Rated for blood, torture, and language.


Ghost

_A long, silver whip comes about harder upon the bloody back, causing a slight cry and miserable tears. Another strike weakens the knees; a blood puddle collects on the bare stone floor, and black hair soaked in crimson red liquid dangles in front of the dark blue pool eyes. Perspiration dots the brow, falling down once in a while to the ground, and with every attack, more falls. It stops, suddenly, and the tortured knows that the deed has been done, he slumps to the ground, shivering madly, and eyes wincing between each footstep that the man above him takes. His heartbeat races and exhales short and hasty, eyelids start to droop, and the body begins to fold together. The back aches, and the throat throbs; blood runs through the drain fluently. And as the door closes, so does his eyes and pain leaves the body with another night beginning. There is no doors, no windows in the cold, damp room; only the pitch black darkness is with him. With his eyes closed, the teenager stifles his cries and moans, choking slightly on the mouthful of blood. Tomorrow, everything would be different. He was to be released into the light he never saw, causing his skin to be a dim gray. Skinny would be a word for it. All you could see was muscles and bones, scars and blood stains. His intelligence hidden, the prisoner never talks, only cries. Life was meaningless, and all desperate tries of suicide were futile. Falling into deep sleep, he waits for morning, the crisp air blowing against him, and the horizon sun bathing his abused body. Closer he was to freedom, closer…and closer…and closer…closer. _

-

_I_

It was time. The metal door had been thrown open, and two, tall bulky men marched into the room. A skinny officer behind the two read of the teen's name, even though he didn't have one, they called him '#00' the first to be thrown out. The reason being, he was too young, in their opinion, and they would've been arrested for what horrifying things they had done. 00 was 19, and already, he witnessed death. Slow, painful, death. Bodies of those being thrown into the incinerator, the smell of death escaping, only made the conditions worse. As the frail man read on, announcing loudly why the teen was to be released, 00 recollected his years of blistering work, night and day. It had helped build his physique, brought him to be stronger, even though he didn't need it. When the officer was done, 00 was quickly whisked out of his cell, the cold dampness of the outside floor greeting him when he took his first step. After going through many corridors of crone paint, they came to the exit door, a ramshackle metal with claw marks stretched across top and bottom decorated it. A few minutes of unlocking brought the door to be opened, a yellow, red ray of sunlight peeking through the cracks. Quickly, he was thrown out, and 00 landed abruptly onto the ground, hands stopping him from literally eating the dirt. His head turned back to where the door was, now closed tightly. Getting up wearily, 00's whole body shacked violently, his month old beard floating in the wind, and his tired eyes in a calm slit. Despite the nervous glances from passerby's 00 quietly examined the area around him anew. A bustling metropolis with smoke rising to the blue hue skies, and vehicles crowding the streets laid out before the teenager.

Shuffling his aching, bloody feet forward, 00 made his way across the sidewalk, hands hanging to his waist, and head cocked downwards. Only a few steps on the new horizon, did his eyes catch something. A small shop that had 'TEA' broadly stated on the front window. He remembered tea, vaguely speaking. He had been always served tea, at the factory, mostly just to boost his energy for work. When 00 entered, the shop was eerily empty, only a few set of tables lined the center, and dust collected on the long bar at the right side. He sat down on one of the chairs, and set his bony hands on the wood, glancing around for any signs of movement. About ten minutes later, there are still no signs of stir, so, he checks the front window again, to see that a 'For Lease' sign hangs in the middle of the glass. With a discouraged exhaled sigh, 00 turns back to the room, and starts looking for any food rations. Noticing that there are still some tea bag cartons and cups left, the teen grabs one of the glasses and looks to see if there is a sink nearby. Instead, a back dirty, curtain catches his eye, and 00 investigates by pushing the green fabric away. What he sees surprises him. An empty cot in the corner of the room is on the opposite of a dusty, wood dresser; More tea, in many different flavors, piles in boxes near the curtain entrance, and a bare metal door in the back leads to the outside. Lastly, a white marble sink is rooted beside the bed, water dripping with a slight rhythmic melody. A perfect home for the homeless. 00 plops against the mattress soundly, the aches before now comforted, and his needs met to a standard. A sudden creak causes the teen to quickly rise up,

'The door…'

He forgot all about the door left unlocked when he came in. He softly walked back to the front, eyes in a disanointed slit, and hands hanging clumsily on the sides. With a click, the lock closed, and all was quiet again. Comforted, 00 collected the glass from beforehand, and turned the cold nozzle on, sending water into the bottom filling up. With the cup full, he stuck a herbal tea bag in an slid it into the microwave a few feet away. Before he could take it out, however, a crash disrupted his once calm thoughts. It sounded like glass, but 00 knew it wasn't his. His palms sweaty, he re-opens the door, arm shaking slightly and eyes cautiously looking back and forth. The streets were now isolated, glass shattered everywhere and smoking craters knee deep. Making his way across the area, 00 still didn't see anything or anyone,

'What could've done this?'

He asks himself in mind,

'Another energy blast?…'

A repeated ripple answers his question as he could see two figures ahead in the distance, one high in the air, and the other in a battle stance on the ground. Since he could barely see any subtle details, 00 advanced by descending into the air, going slightly fast before the scene ended. He could eventually realize that the person fighting on the ground was the villain, a bulky heap of rock that had crimson red eyes in a defying slit; and the other was a peach skinned alien with a costume of light purple tights with a dash of red and orange coloring hair. The girl was winning, with green energy blasts escaping her palms, and the continued attacks pushed the monster farther away, it lead right into a brick wall. He fell, collapsing the wall in a messy heap with dust flying everywhere. Hesitating slightly, the girl didn't realize that two massive arms thrust out of the cloud, locking her in a giant fist. She struggled desperately for a while, then stopped when a parade of objects enveloped in black energy pounded the giant's back, causing his grip on the teen to lessen, but he still didn't let go. 00 acted quickly, with eyes glowing a mad white, he let intensive waves against the villain, processing pain and torture. Shrieking in a abominable voice, the creature let go allowing the girl to fly away from the hands. Disrupting 00's attack was a green-skinned rhino that sent his sharp horn against the back of the villain, and another shower of black items occurred. Obviously overtaken, the giant turned back to the rhino and sent a fist clenched against the face, sending the animal to change into a scrawny teenager, and into the ground he went. When another girl, dressed in a maroon cloak appeared, the monster was ready. When she neared, he quickly grabbed the girl in one hand, while blocking the black blasts with the other.

Now only a few yards away, 00 sent another wave of his power to the bulk, effecting it once again. Once he was kneeling in pain, the girl still in hand, 00 acted hastily. He raised both of his fists, doused in white light, and countered the back with a fierce force; a light explosion in effect. With a defeated growl, the beast let go of his hostage, and fell into unconsciousness with his arms and legs limping across the gravel. The alien with green in her eyes levitated cautiously to the ground, the green imp next to her rubbing his head back and forth; their teammate that was in a gigantic grasp beforehand stood up silently, cringing slightly at her knee damaged in the fall.

"Dude…" Voiced the green teenager, "…how did you do that?" The green oval eyes in a bulbous size, he eyed the sleeping creature. 00 didn't reply, only studied his hand slightly making sure it didn't make impact. The alien with a alarming look, stated,

"Raven…you are harmed?..." The attention flickered back to their own comrades injury, the gray skinned teenager limped a few feet away, her fingers hovering above the wound,

"I'm fine Starfire…" She answered dully, the gash closing up in a black bubble. The green teen, on the other hand, had a transmitter in his hand,

"Tim…Cinderblocks defeated…and we found someone…"

-

"We still need t' know his name Robin…" The cyborg repeated dryly, his titanium fists resting on a table. 00 had been escorted back to where the team lived, a escalated manor in a broad 'T', located on a island off the harbor. He was introduced instantly to the five: Robin aka Tim Drake, Cyborg his name Victor, Beast Boy his Garfield Logan, Starfire also known as Kori, and Raven, simply Raven Roth. Robin was the leader, persistent in squeezing out a word or two. 00 remained silent as Starfire looks across the table with pleading eyes, Raven in the corner was absorbed in a novel, Cyborg stood his hands still planted on the tabletop, Beast Boy sat slouched in a chair, his boots seated on the table, and Robin had his arms folded a masked face frowning in frustration.

"Please," begged Kori, "…why won't you speak?…"

"We've been sitting here for 'bout…forty minutes! Well past the psycho mark!" The green imp spat darkly, glancing at his watch, "I'm leaving! Gamestation is more interesting than this…" With that, he stood up and left the room, Cyborg and Starfire behind him. Robin, with pursed lips, eventually threw up his hands, and left turning off one of the lights before leaving the room. With a final dirty look, the door closed. This only left Raven and 00, sitting quietly in the room, silhouetted only by the lone fluorescent bulb above. Raven flickered her monotone eyes to 00, who had his head drawn down, his hands down in the lap. When the pale gray teen looked up at Raven with his dark blue eyes, she quickly looked down hiding her curiosity.

The two simply sat there, an hour passing. With her last sentence in her book, she exhaled a sigh,

'Sooner or later, he would have to talk…' She thought, leaning slightly back in her chair.

'No.'

The light bulb imploded in black energy, and Raven's eyes shot up suddenly. The room was now perfectly dark. A few minutes passed, perspiration drew at her temple, and the eyes darting back and forth. White light was drawn suddenly, about the size of the used-to-be covering, Raven could see the teenager's ghostly face, the eyebrows arched in an agitated expression. Her book, dropped before, now hovered inches away from the tip of her nose.

'I believe…' Came the echoed voice again, '…this is _yours_…' The goth cleared her throat, and grabbed the cover with shaky arm.

"Th-thanks…"

'Forget about it.'

The aurora of light grows larger, now covering the entire room. Rubbish from the light bulb lies in a smoking heap on the table, and Raven can see that the teenager has his hands still in his lap, head lowered once again.

"What-what happened?"

'You tell me.' He answered, finally, he raised his head. A long black mark was under his two eyes, both seeming permanent. Under Raven's hood, she slightly seemed surprised. The newcomer had been, in her eyes, just a normal kid, just had been inside too long. But now as she looked deep into his eyes, she could read his mind, filled with torture, death, and pools of unending blood. Shoving a shudder down her gut, she answered,

"Just a power hiccup…" She then straightened up in a determined stature, her eyes slit in monotone. "Anyway…I need to know your name so we can get the hell out of here…"

'Ghost, you can call me…'

"Fine. I'm leaving." Raven states with a dull tone, walking out of the room with the book tucked in-between her arm. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the light go blank, and Ghost walks out of the doorway, his face still the same in a calm expression. As the goth leaves the teen to fend for her own, a chill crawls up her back, and she closes her eyelids in mild detainment. Ghost.

-

"_Ghost?_" Beast Boy says aloud, keeping his eyes peeled to the screen.

"Yes, Beast Boy, for the fourth time I said it, he 'said' his name was Ghost…"

"Huh. At least he said sumthin'" Came cyborg in a surprised tone, he as well was jabbing his robotic fingers to and fro on the Gamestation console controller. Robin and Starfire sat together on the couch, the alien chewing on mustard-doused popcorn, much to the dismay of the rest of the Titans.

"Didn't _say_ Cyborg, he has telekinetic voicing…" Raven droned darkly, her face buried in a different horror novel. Her eyes secretly watching the door for Ghost, she already found out that he could cause hell to break loose in a single minute.

"Eh…uh…whatever…HA! Gothca, BB!" Cyborg gloated in gaily posture, his elbows drawn back with his hands raised in victory. Garfield, in contrast, slouched bitterly in his chair, a dark thundercloud storming over his green and red head.

"No fair dude! Your character obviously had more life points! Rematch!" He thundered, nostrils flared. Starfire and Robin, in mild amusement, chuckled as the scene went on. Raven on the other hand rolled her eyes to the ceiling during the commotion, and left the room. Glancing at the clock, she knew it had been about two hours since the occurrence with Ghost, and walked on through the electronic door. She avoided the door that belonged to Ghost's quarters, only headed for the elevator. Once in the shaft, she pressed the roof button, leaning against the golden railing with her book resting against the glass. Halfway through the trip, she could see the vastly beautiful night sky, its glowing stars shining broadly upon her. She enjoyed meditating upon the cement borders of the tower, the atmosphere relaxed her, helped her to unwind from the day. When the door opened, she saw him. Standing literally on the ledge, arms drawn downward, and head quietly observing the sky. Suddenly, he turned around to see her. His eyes showing no emotion, no energy whatsoever. Just those same dark blue pool eyes. She expected a greeting, a nod or word, but instead, he turned back to the stars.

"What is wrong with you?" She said aloud, which surprised her, "I…I have never, _never _seen anyone so messed up…" She quickly regretted this, thinking that Ghost would send her into a twist of heck itself.

'Sorry you feel that way.'

Another surprise.

'…just the way I am…'

Exhaling a sigh, Raven approached next to Ghost, following his gaze.

"Where do you come from…is what I want to know, Ghost…"

'Nowhere.'

"Huh?"

'Made in a factory…' His face still the same, he sighs as well.

"Whatever…" She answers, but her hidden face lies.

'Anyway…I'm leaving…so you can meditate and what not…' Ghost says, turning away for the elevator.

"Wait, how do you--"

'Ajna Chakara, Raven…your forehead and palms…farewell Raven…' Came Ghost's voice. As she looks on, the pale teenager disappears in the elevators doors, eyes closed with a monotone feeling to it.

-

_Ghost, heavily tired, returns to his corridors. With his beard still unshaven, and his blood shot eyes in a droopy sort, he opens the door. His back still aching horribly, he takes off his bedraggled shirt, and collapses upon the comfortable bed. As he pulls the covers up to his chin, the eyelids slowly closing, he thinks of the hell he was once put through, the torture, death, everything. Usually, when he was in such a horrible mood, he would think of images that quieted the horrible thoughts, that put him to sleep. Once seeing it, he is asleep. Happy._

_Happy. For once he can feel the positive energy flowing through his veins. _

-

_Raven now meditates quietly, her eyes closed and posture comfortable. Relaxed, she utters the words that helped her…_

"_Azarath, Metrion, Zynthos…" _

_The words she continued to echo replayed in her mind, every bone, every muscle going numb peacefully. Usually with every meditation rounds, she would think of images, thoughts, dreams, that mattered to her. The ones that she shuttered, shielded, finally escaped their chamber. There was one, however, she hesitated at. Quickly, she pushed the thought away, and opened one of her eyes. She planted both of her feet on the ground, and headed for the elevator. __She planted both of her feet on the ground, and headed for the elevator, questions bleak in her mind._

_- _


End file.
